Narrandera man Dustyn James Morgan jailed for stealing 250kg of dog food in 'one-man crime spree'

Dustyn James Morgan, 28, of Narrandera appeared in Wagga District Court on Friday after pleading guilty to 14 charges, including counts of break and enter, having unlawfully obtained goods, engaging in a police pursuit, car theft and driving while disqualified.

All of the offences were committed across Narrandera and Grong Grong between August 18 and 27, 2017.

In court on Friday, Judge Gordon Lerve described Morgan's actions as "a one-man crime spree".

"The offender can accurately be described as a repeat offender in respect of matters of break, enter and steal," he said.

Judge Lerve also said Morgan was not entitled to leniency given the number of convictions and custodial penalties recorded previously.

The court heard that Morgan first broke into a beauty therapy salon and ransacked the premises, costing the owner $26,000 in lost products, repairs and cleaning.

He stole various products and used laundry service bags to carry the items from the premises before placing them into a green wheelie bin that he held on as he rode away on his motorcycle.

The next day, Morgan broke into a car wash where he used an angle grinder to enter a room before stealing a bag of car wash tokens worth about $100.

Then a week later, he broke into a residential unit and stole various computer equipment and the spare key to the victim's Holden Barina, which Morgan also stole.

He then broke into a rural supply store where he stole a large quantity of dog food, including six 12-can packs, eight 20kg bags and four 22kg packs.

After leaving the store, he drove the stolen Barina on the Newell Highway towards Narrandera when a police highway patrol passed him and did a U-turn.

Morgan then accelerated harshly to avoid arrest, reaching 145km/h in a 100km/h zone.

When he got into the 50km/h zone of the township, he continued travelling at speeds of up to 100km/h before police terminated the pursuit for safety reasons.

Morgan, who has never held a driver's licence, then abandoned the car with the stolen items inside.

Other premises that were targeted included two hardware stores.

Judge Lerve said the police pursuit was a serious offence.

"This is one of the most serious examples of this type of offence I have encountered as a judicial officer either in the district or local courts," Judge Lerve said.

"The matter is well above mid-range."

In his evidence, Morgan said he was remorseful and that he had been in a bad place.

He said he was sorry for letting his parents down and was willing to pay money back to the insurance companies when is eventually released.

He was also disqualified for five and two years, respectively, for the police pursuit and driving while disqualified.

Two counts of goods in custody were dismissed.

Morgan will be eligible for parole in March 2022.

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